Apple has done it again!

[kathmat]

Moving on with my Queen's English

 

[Iatros55]

Hey kathmat,
Thanks for your input. But PSE change your title to 'Apple has done it again'. Thanks.

 

[kathmat]

Hey kathmat,
Thanks for your input. But PSE change your title to 'Apple has done it again'. Thanks.

Now why would I want to do that? The word Apple might be singular, but it represents and is symbolic of a company comprised of what I believe is more than one person and therefore plural.

Replace the noun with the pronoun and tell me would you say "They has done it again!" If you would then that would explain your request.

Cheers!

 

[pigoo3]

Now why would I want to do that? The word Apple might be singular, but it represents and is symbolic of a company comprised of what I believe is more than one person and therefore plural.

Replace the noun with the pronoun and tell me would you say "They has done it again!" If you would then that would explain your request.

Cheers!

"Apple have done it again" is bad English (title has been modified). Also…this thread is not an "Apple Rumor and Report"…thread moved to better sub-forum.

Congrats on getting an iPhone 6!

- Nick

 

[kathmat]

*****

 

[RustProofCorn]

Oh bother! Thank you Nick, I don't know what I was thinking. I imagine that is what happens when one has been educated in the United Kingdom and had all of their school exams set and marked, (graded as you say in the United States) by Cambridge University.

All the best to you.

I don't get it. Is this a dig? Had all my school exams graded via School of Hard Knocks. You will have to dumb it down for us slow folk.

 

[pigoo3]

Normally we try not to make a really big deal about spelling, grammer, sentence structure, maintaining the proper tense (past, present, future), and singular vs. plural.

We know that Mac-Forums is a world-wide forum...and English may not be everyone's "first language". And even for native English speakers...we all occasionally make mistakes when composing a post (in a hurry). That's partially what the "edit" feature is for (if someone [the poster] see's an error they want to correct). I correct my posts all the time. And of course most of us are not in school/university anymore...so we should be allowed the occasional error.

In this case some discussion actually started regarding the structure of the title (not the main subject of the thread). So if some discussion has started...might as well fix it.

Thanks,

- Nick

 

[DianeVan]

But, but but.

In England (where English is their first language) they consider companies, teams, parliament, etc. plural.

So, "the team are", "the company are", "Apple are", "the government are", are perfectly correct in England.

It sounds wrong to North American ears, but that's just one of the interesting things about the varieties of English. There's lots of other examples from "other" Englishes too, but ............ no time, no time. I'm busy updating all my Apple devices.

Diane

 

[pigoo3]

I think that the main purpose of the thread is that the OP is happy with their new iPhone 6.

- Nick

 

[RustProofCorn]

I think that the main purpose of the thread it that the OP is happy with their new iPhone 6.

- Nick

Roger that!!!

 

[kathmat]

But, but but.

In England (where English is their first language) they consider companies, teams, parliament, etc. plural.

So, "the team are", "the company are", "Apple are", "the government are", are perfectly correct in England.

It sounds wrong to North American ears, but that's just one of the interesting things about the varieties of English. There's lots of other examples from "other" Englishes too, but ............ no time, no time. I'm busy updating all my Apple devices.

Diane

Thank you. American English and the Queen's English will I fear never find mutual ground. But as you said, enough of this and I am moving on.

 

[Sawday]

But, but but.

In England (where English is their first language) they consider companies, teams, parliament, etc. plural.

So, "the team are", "the company are", "Apple are", "the government are", are perfectly correct in England.

It sounds wrong to North American ears, but that's just one of the interesting things about the varieties of English. There's lots of other examples from "other" Englishes too, but ............ no time, no time. I'm busy updating all my Apple devices.

Diane

Not true in the part of England I come from. "Government" is definitely a singular entity so it's "Government is". Ditto "Apple is...", the team is... etc. I think you are confusing correct English with the lazy English that many of our red-top newspapers (I use the word 'newspapers' though they hardly contain news) use and which is then copied by those who know no better.

 

[chiss]

I think that the main purpose of the thread is that the OP is happy with their new iPhone 6.

- Nick

...the OP is happy with his/her new...

;D

couldn't resist,

 

[pigoo3]

...the OP is happy with his/her new...

;D

couldn't resist,

Sorry…I guess I'm missing the humor.

- Nick

 

[RustProofCorn]

Sorry…I guess I'm missing the humor.

- Nick

I thought it was just me.

 

[chiss]

Sorry…I guess I'm missing the humor.

- Nick

Hi Nick,

I was correcting your grammar tongue in cheek since the thread turned to talk about grammar.

If the OP's name was John for example you would say John is happy with his iphone 6, not their iphone 6. Since the OP is one person.

Hope your don't mind,
chris

 

[pigoo3]

I was correcting your grammar tongue in cheek since the thread turned to talk about grammar.

If the OP's name was John for example you would say John is happy with his iphone 6, not their iphone 6. Since the OP is one person.

I don't think that there is much wrong with the grammar of my earlier statement. All you did was replace the term "OP" with "his/her".

The term "their" can refer to a single person or multiple persons/people. See definition #2 in the link below:

Their - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

- Nick

 

[chas_m]

As something of a grammar, er, authoritarian, and who was schooled in England, whoever said England uses plural for institutions is 100 percent incorrect.

BBC News, front page, right now: "Turkey closes most of its border," "Tesco launches inquiry into its half-year profit forecast," "The Rockefeller family, which made its fortune from oil, is to sell its investments in fossil fuels and put money into clean energy."

 

[pigoo3]

BBC News, front page, right now: "Turkey closes most of its border," "Tesco launches inquiry into its half-year profit forecast," "The Rockefeller family, which made its fortune from oil, is to sell its investments in fossil fuels and put money into clean energy."

I'm in total agreement…all those headlines make perfect sense to me. The word "its" is used perfectly.

Just for anyone reading this thread…and if there is some confusion…the original title of the thread was:

"Apple have done it again!"

The title was edited to:

"Apple has done it again!"

Some folks argue that "Apple have done it again!" is perfectly acceptable English in other parts of the world. All I know is…in the United States (any maybe other parts of the world)…"Apple have done it again!" has a very unusual sound to it.

If some folks say that in some parts of the world…Apple have done it again!"…is perfectly acceptable English…I am perfectly willing to accept that (if true)...I hope to learn something new every day!!!

But for my own usage…I will stick with the statement/structure…"Apple has done it again!"

- Nick

 

[Sawday]

Apple (singular entity) has done it again.
Apples (plural) have done it again.
Simples!